*****Sudden Traveler by Sarah Hall

LibraryThing.com Early Review

I am not a big fan of short stories. I often feel they are incomplete, that they end too soon. (Full disclosure, I love a good tome.)  Sarah Hall's work is different.  Whatever the length of her story, or subject matter,  each piece - each phrase -  is complete.  Her words work together like an exquisite piece  of art.  Line by line, story by story, one feels ultra satisfied and powerfully moved, such is the quality of her writing. Hall is truly a master of the written word.

***Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz

LibraryThing.com Early Review Ordinary Girls is a memoir that illustrates what defines ordinary in a poor community where dysfunctional families are the norm and drug use runs rampant; where the only hope of escaping this life is through an early death or education. With minimal, if any, family support education is not an obtainable goal for many. The author, Ms. Díaz, is one if the fortunate ones. She made it out. How she gets there is not the subject of her story. Living and growing up under these extreme, yet all to common, circumstances defines her book. Ms. Díaz has a deeply compelling story to share. Unfortunately, it suffers from a lack of editing. The last half of the book is redundant and the structure weak. Despite this problem, the first half of her memoir confrms that she is a talented writer. Revision would have greatly improved the overall quality of her book.